The record for Antarctic tourist visits was set in the 2007-2008 season with 46,265 people visiting Antarctica. This number dipped significantly in 2010-2011 to 34,000 and it is expected to plummet again this year. That may be a good thing. Antarctic observers are noticing breaches of what is called "biosecurity," in that bits of soil and fungus spores are infiltrating the continent with incoming produce, food, supplies, and tourists. But the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) thinks this summer (remember it’s the Southern Hemisphere, so there summer is around the end of the calendar year) thinks that number will decrease significantly, possibly by as much as 25%.

In part, the decrease is related to a fuel ban which is going to result in keeping very large vessels away from Antarctica. However, it may also be that the world’s unhealthy economy is also a key factor, because in a tight economy, it is hard to make a trip to Antarctica into a necessity.

Large cruise vessels typically use both heavy fuel oil (economical but more polluting) and less-polluting light fuel when they are near shore. Most ships carry both fuels and use the economical version when out to sea (and covering the vast distances such ships must cross) while switching to the lighter fuel in more environmentally sensitive areas near land. The Antarctic ban does not allow ships to even carry the heavy fuel, meaning that the vessel would have to burn the more expensive, lighter fuel all the way back to land (South America). This would presumably be cost prohibitive. It is anticipated that larger cruise vessels will not make as many Antarctic voyages. However, some cruise lines indicate they intend to meet the new law’s requirements and continue their voyages.

This ban on heavy fuel oil may be a boon to the smaller expedition-type vessels which carry fewer passengers and burn the cleaner fuels.

Tours include:

• Antarctica Classic in Depth
• Antarctica Classic
• Quest for the Antarctic Circle
• Spirit of Shackleton

For more information, contact gapadventures.com

Antarctica does not have a capital city. In fact, although more than a thousand people are there at many times of year, it has no permanent residents. But it does have some key destinations, or at least named places.

• The South Pole is the literal "end point" of the earth.
• The Southern Pole of Inaccessibility. This is not the same as the South Pole. It is the furthest inland point on Antarctica, that is, the place furthest from the Southern Sea. It is thus considered to be the most inaccessible place on earth. There is an abandoned Soviet station there, so it isn’t completely impossible to access.
• Mount Erebus, located on Ross Island, is an active volcano.
• South Shetland Islands is a cruise ship port. You can visit Deception Island from here, hot springs, and observe penguins. The Arctowski Station (Poland) is here.
• McMurdo Sound is home to the McMurdo station (USA)
• Mawson’s Huts are historical sites of where the Sir Dough Mawson’s expedition camped out. Sir Douglas was the sole survivor of this adventure.
• Anver Island and Anvord Pay is the other main cruise ship port (Paradise Bay and Neko Harbor are the actual ports). You can find Palmer Station here (a U.S. base) and a museum at Port Lockroy.

Antaractica has no official currency or language.

The ICECAP project (which stands for Investigating the Cryospheric Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate)  has just conducted topographical mapping of the bedrock located beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet. ICECAP is a multinational research project (U.S., U.K., Australia). In order to conduct the research, the team flew upgraded World War II type DC-3 aircraft (see picture) with state-of-the-art geophysical instrumentation in order to study the ice and rock in East Antarctica.

What they found are some of the largest fjords (channels cut through the ice) ever discovered.

The teams produced what geophysicists call a high-resolution toporgraphic map using, among other tools, radar. The team is investigating the Aurora Subglacial Basin, which is an area of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet below sea level. Investigators are particularly concerned about this area because the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest remaining body of ice on earth and a melt-down could cause seas to rise around the world. It has also been speculated that if seawater penetrated beneath the ice sheet, it could lift the ice and cause chunks to be floated off into the sea. This may even have already happened, unobserved, in that it is believed that the ice sheet was smaller in the past. Investigators theorize that in the past, the ice sheet may have been larger and then was reduced when portions were broken off. In fact, investigators speculate that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet has changed in size frequently, expanding and retracting over the milllennia.

Organizations conducting the research include the University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences; the University of Edinburgh; and the Australian Antarctic Division.

Nicknamed "Happy Feet," the wayward penguin ingested large amounts of sand. If the animal had been at home, he would be eating snow. Without the snow, the animal gobbled up sand and twigs, seriously compromising his health. Vets have already performed an operation to help flush out the sand. By their own estimates, they removed about an eighth of the sand the animal ate. They plan on allowing the animal some rest and repeating the procedure to remove sand another time or two. According to New Zealand radio, about a hundred people showed up to observe the penguin procedure in the operating theater.

For more details, check out this link from our kiwi friends: www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/78522/emperor-penguin-offered-free-berth-back-to-antarctica

Emperor Penguin from Antarctica Takes Wrong Turn

An Emperor penguin–normally native to Antarctica–showed up in New Zealand yesterday, nearly 4,000 miles off course. It is unclear why the penguin lost his bearings or how to solve the situation. This is not the first time that a penguin from the Antarctic regions wound up in New Zealand, but it’s a rare occurrence.

Raw footage from New Zealand about Stranded Penguin

Deception Island

Most ships that travel to and from Antarctica are “ice strengthened,” a type of ship construction that is not-quite-an-icebreaker. Ice-strengthened ships are designed for maximum stability in Antarctica’s rough seas (icebreakers have rounded hulls that can amplify the wave action) as well as cutting through the ice.

Large and small cruise ships travel to Antarctica and–just like other parts of the world–the smaller ships can travel to areas where the larger ships cannot navigate. On the other hand, larger ships tend to offer more amenities than small ships.

Most cruise ships to Antarctica offer not only travel but a variety of excursion options (including guided hikes, kayaking, and so on). Unlike other ports of call, there may be headcount limitations in Antarctica in terms of how many people may be on land at any given time. Most of the time, just 100 people will be on land at any given time. This means that with larger ships, carrying 200 or 300 passengers, passengers will only be allowed on-land for a limited period of time and not the whole day.

Other Antarctica athletic events include the Antarctic Mile (November 30, 2011), and a new (date unknown) the Antarctic Triatholon and Duatholon (December 1, 2011). The triathlon/duathlon is limited to 22 participants (invitation only). While the standard triathlon combines swimming, cycling and running, the Antarctic version involves cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and running.

For more information on these events, contact the organizers at IceMarathon.com. Travel packages are available from Punta Arenas, Chile.